


Existential Crisis

by RinRin24



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alpha Johnny, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, Omega Nakamoto Yuta, Social Anxiety, alpha taeyong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-06 10:22:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18849112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RinRin24/pseuds/RinRin24
Summary: Taeyong and Yuta have been best friends since they were kids. It’s just that they don’t really move in the same circles because Taeyong is the invisible guy with crippling social anxiety while Yuta is the walking ray of sunshine everyone loves. But it’s okay, they got that part figured out.It’s the part when their friends and they themselves start presenting.That’s when the existential crisis starts.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I wrote this as a celebration for my three years on AO3. Is this my best work? No. Did I think about this story a lot before and did I want to write it just to discard it all the fucking time? Yes. So here it is. 
> 
> I struggled a lot with mental health in my life, but luckily social anxiety wasn't one of them, at least on a level where it could seriously affect my life. But anyone suffering for it: you're strong, I believe in you and if this is in any way offensive for you, I'm really sorry, please tell me what made you feel that way and I'll correct it within a heartbeat. Thank you so much

Taeyong stood at the entrance of the school, not daring to put his foot into the building. He gulped hard as he looked down onto his watch. He needed to go inside now if he didn’t want to be late.  
Don’t misunderstand him please. It’s not that he disliked school. He wasn’t bullied, the teachers didn’t try to pick on him, and during the two years he has already spent there he made himself comfortably unnoticeable. 

But right now, being invisible seemed like something impossible. The scents were so strong and it made him hyperaware of everything and everyone around him and made him feel like he was in the middle of everyone’s attention. And this alone made him extremely anxious, even if his logical mind told him nobody paid really attention to him and they won’t suddenly start picking on him because of this. The bell rang once, letting Taeyong know that his class will start in five minutes. 

He took a deep breath to calm himself down, but because of this, even more scents entered his nose, so he just lifted his hand in front of his face to try and dampen them down. He wanted to go home.

The hand on his shoulder shocked him and he almost jumped in surprise before he turned around and let his hand down.  
Johnny smelled like wood right before you put them in the fireplace mixed with some light spices. For a moment, Taeyong couldn’t decide if it was some type of cologne or just his natural scent. It wasn’t bad, but it was not something Taeyong would want to smell every single day in his life. 

“Yo!” Johnny greeted him with a knowing smirk on his face. Taeyong didn’t even try to compose himself. Johnny knew he was a hot mess even without this stupid problem and has seen him in worse state throughout their friendship. 

“Hi,” he muttered and ran his hand through his hair. He glanced at the door of the school again. They needed to go in, but since he wasn’t inside yet, he could always just turn around and go home… 

“Do you intend on going in, or do I need to cover for you? Though I don’t have enough time to get Yuta on the case as well…” Johnny mused as he walked around Taeyong so he was standing behind the gate. With his height it would only take him a few steps to get into the school so they wouldn’t be able to lock him out. Taeyong grimaced at this. He knew Yuta was already inside, he needed to copy someone’s homework before school started so he for once didn’t hesitate to be on time. 

“Just… Give me a second to decide…” he muttered and pulled his shoulders up. He was absent last week the whole time, even though he could have gone in on Thursday. He just skipped because his mother offered and he so wasn’t ready to face the world.

Johnny smiled.  
“Just so you know, it won’t get better even if you go home right now. You need to get used to it,” he grinned then he turned around and left. Taeyong’s grimace deepened. He also knew that. He couldn’t change his biology, he needed to get accustomed to it.  
He presented last Saturday. It started with strange restlessness, then he was just easily annoyed and got angry at basically everything. By Sunday morning it became a full on rut that only fully went away by Tuesday. 

He presented as an alpha.

Him, Lee Taeyong. The guy who has worse social anxiety than anyone else, who doesn’t dare to talk in class and who held his best friends hand every single day up to eight grade because otherwise he would have just ran home to hole up in his room. He was an alpha.  
An alpha, who was supposed to be strong, dominant and confident.  
When they realised this on Saturday night his sister laughed into his face and his mom seemed more worried than when he almost needed to be brought hospital with high fever when he was eleven. Only his father seemed to be happy about this fact. He congratulated him and shook his hand before he pulled his shirt in front of his nose and ordered him to go shower because he reeked his new scent. 

Taeyong sighed before he banged his head into the wall next to the gate. He needed to get his shit together. It would be way to embarrassing to ask Yuta to come and go into the school with him. He sighed before he eventually went in. The bell rang, he was going to be late.  
Taeyong always wanted to be a beta like his mother. Their sense of smell was damper than alphas’ or omegas’, they didn’t need to bother with heats or ruts and they were much less hormone-driven than the other two secondary genders. Being a beta would have been calm and uneventful, just like how Taeyong would love his life to be. But life had other plans. He should’ve seen this coming, his father and sister were alphas, so there was a highly chance of him being one too.  
And now here he was. 

Standing in front of his classroom, more scared to go in than he ever was. Everyone is going to look at him. Not only because he was late and the teacher is going to call him out, but because of his new smell, too. He shuddered, but placed his hand on the doorknob. He was an 18 years old young man. He was an alpha. Opening a door should be nothing. 

So he did. 

And he regretted it instantly. Everyone turned to look at the door and therefore at him. Johnny smirked at him when he saw him. He himself was an alpha, he knew the struggles Taeyong was going through but he was also way more confident than Taeyong in general. Some other people’s eyes widened when the realisation downed on them when his scent reached them. Taeyong sprayed a whole bottle of scent-cancelling spray in the morning, but because he was freshly presented his scent was much stronger than it would be later on.  
Yuta in the corner of the room frowned, not understanding what the commotion was about. He hasn’t presented yet, he couldn’t smell Taeyong.  
And Taeyong was ultimately grateful for that. At least someone will treat him the same as before. Because as the lesson progressed, he knew he knew, nothing was going to be the same as before. His classmates glanced him one after another, paying attention to every single movement of the usually invisible boy. This kept Taeyong on his toes, even the hairs on his standing. He gulped and tried to focus on the teacher. He was tense and his hand was trembling as he tried to write, but he couldn’t give up. He needed to get used to this. He knew that.  
But when the bell finally rang and the others turned their attention away from him just so they could leave the classroom as soon as possible, he sighed in relief. 

“What’s going on? What the hell did you do?” Yuta grabbed Taeyong’s shoulder with a little bit more force than he intended to, but Taeyong didn’t care. Without even answering the question, he stood up and threw his arms around his best friend. Yuta’s scent was rather weak, almost neutral as he hasn’t presented yet, and it soothed Taeyong’s hyped up senses. He nuzzled his face into his neck and breathed in deeply. 

“Taeyong? Are you okay?” Yuta’s voice was muffled as Taeyong ear was pressed against his neck, but the alpha still understood him. He shook his head. Yuta went from tense to comforting within seconds when he felt his answer and wound his arms around Taeyong. He patted his back. 

“What happened?”

“He presented as an alpha. Now he is overwhelmed,” Johnny said, and it was clear just from his voice how entertained he was by the situation. The motherfucker’s presenting went smoothly, he immediately got used to being an alpha. Taeyong growled at the thought and just pulled Yuta closer to himself. He was his last ray of hope. But Yuta pushed him away to look at his face. 

“You presented as an alpha?” he asked. He was surprised, but he couldn’t hide the happy glint in his eyes. Taeyong pulled up his shoulders and glanced away. 

“Yeah, sadly.”

For a moment, he thought Yuta may commiserate with him. Maybe even comfort him a little. Yuta went through every single struggle with him during the years, he should have known why Taeyong desperately didn’t want to be an alpha. Taeyong only forgot one thing. That he was talking about Yuta.  
Nakamoto showed him back playfully, before he slapped his shoulder.  
“What ‘sadly’? This is amazing! The three of us can be alphas together and we will be the biggest trio in school!” he shouted in joyful glee, throwing his arm around Taeyong’s shoulder with a dazzling smile. “And people also won’t want to mess with you, so you can also calm down from now on,” he added in a little softer tone. Johnny gave Yuta a high five, but Taeyong only rewarded him with a tired look. He should have expected this. He should have known he was going to be left alone with his worries. 

“You’re wrong” he whined, pushing Yuta’s arm off of his shoulder. “Everyone is paying attention to me now, and I smell every single hormone driven teenager and there’s a fuckton of them around us. Everything smells like a sexbar,” he complained. Johnny snorted. 

“Well, you’re not wrong about that.” Taeyong gave him a flat look. 

“And I have to deal with that shitty rut from now on,” he finished his rant. He was getting worked up and he could feel his scent getting stronger. He needed to calm down. Yuta gave him a smile again, but he could see Johnny getting tenser. He adjusted his bag on his shoulder and ran his fingers through his hair; typical Johnny motions when he was calming himself down. Because even if he knew, Taeyong wasn’t going to attack, he himself also was new to this hormone stuff and needed to remind himself, that not everything was a challenge to battle. 

“It’s okay. You’ll get used to it,” Yuta said, not picking up on the atmosphere between the two alphas. “And you can give me tips for when I present!” he said cheerfully.  
Neither Johnny, not Taeyong commented on this. Just for a moment, they couldn’t share the excitement the youngest had.


	2. Chapter 2

_“Tae,” Yuta’s voice brought Taeyong back to the reality. They were sitting in his room, on his bed. Yuta was sitting up with his back against the wall, playing a videogame on his Gameboy. He had Taeyong’s legs on his lap as he was laying on the bed, reading some book he got for his birthday. They were just few weeks away from starting high school, still only sixteen years old._

_“Hm?” He didn’t look up from the book._

_“Have you ever kissed anyone?” Yuta asked. He stopped playing for a second, and soon the typical sound of ‘Game over’ hit Taeyong’s ears. He looked up, just to find Yuta staring at him. He sighed and closed the book onto his finger._

_“You know just as well as I do that I haven’t. So why are you asking?” He sat up, pulling his legs away from Yuta’s lap._

_“And what if in the new school someone’s gonna ask you if you have? What are you going to tell them?” There was an uncertainity in Yuta’s voice that sounded strange coming from the always happy and confident boy, but Taeyong new better. This was the type of things they only trusted the other to talk with about. So he just shrugged._

_“The truth. But it’s not like anyone is going to ask me. Hopefully, they will just leave alone like the people in middle school.” He never had much reputation to uphold, so he didn’t care. He was perfectly fine blending into the shadows in his new school, too. His plan was to swim through the next three years without being noticed by anyone other than Yuta and their friend, Johnny._

_“But what if they do and they make fun of you because you haven’t?” Yuta pushed the subject further, and suddenly the question mark in Taeyong’s mind disappeared. Now he understood why they were talking about this._

_“If you’re worried about that, I’m pretty sure 90% of them are lying when they say they have kissed someone. You won’t be the only one who hasn’t” he gave him a reassuring smile. “But if it makes you feel safer, no one is going to figure out if you lie. I won’t tell on you, and so won’t Johnny.”_

_Yuta pulled a face.  
“But I don’t want to lie.” he said._

_“Then what do you want to do? It’s not like we have much time until school starts and you can’t just walk up to a girl and kiss her,” he said, preparing to lay back down. He opened his book once again. Yuta stayed silent, so Taeyong was sure, he could start reading again. He was just getting into the interesting part of the story._

_But that was only until Yuta slapped his thigh.  
“Tae, can I kiss you?” he asked, which made Taeyong drop his book onto his chest. He wasn’t sure whether it was that or Yuta’s question that knocked the wind out of him. _

_“You said what?”_

_“Can I kiss you? Come on, Tae, please~” Yuta grabbed Taeyong’s leg and shook him a little. “It can’t hurt you and at least I won’t have to lie when they ask!” he reasoned, and even though these were really poor reasons, Taeyong knew Yuta thought he was a genius._

_“But shouldn’t the first kiss be something special?” he asked, pushing his book off himself. “You know, as in doing it with a girl you actually like in a romantic setting or something?” Much to his surprise, Yuta only shrugged._

_“I don’t know. I think it’s not the first time you ever kiss anyone is what counts, but the first time you kiss that certain person. Every kiss should feel somewhat special when you do it with someone new or with that special someone,” he answered. Taeyong looked at him dumbfounded; he knew Yuta was mature enough and that he had his own views on stuff, but he never expected this coming from him. It was surprisingly romantic and beautiful. They locked eyes for a moment. Taeyong could see how Yuta was serious about this, not just joking._

“But won’t it be awkward to admit that you kissed a guy?” he asked, sitting up once again. He pulled his legs under himself.

_“Leave that to me. I think of something, maybe tell them it was a girl in Japan,” Yuta replied happily, moving onto his knees in front of Taeyong._

_“But wouldn’t that also be a lie?”_

_“It’s different. If they asked me to describe a kiss, I wouldn’t know what to say, but anyone can describe a random girl and a random room,” he waved his hand dismissively. Taeyong lifted his eyebrow, not really convinced. But when he saw the hopeful look in Yuta’s eyes, he just sighed._

_“And how do you want to do this?” he asked. He couldn’t decide if he made the good or the bad choice when he saw Yuta smile at his answer._

_“I don’t know. But we’ll figure it out!” he said optimistically, moving a little bit closer to his best friend. Their knees were now touching and Yuta put his hands onto Taeyong’s shoulders to keep him still._

_“Should I close my eyes?” Taeyong asked. He kept his hands in his lap, not really daring to move. He honestly didn’t know what he should do._

_Yuta nodded.  
“That would be appreciated,” he said, gulping. He didn’t want to look into Taeyong’s eyes. Blush sneaked up his neck onto his cheeks, tinting his ear red. He was unsure, but he didn’t want to back down. He closed his eyes tight and pouted before he just leaned forward. He only managed to touch his lips onto the corner of Taeyong’s. He was just about to pull back when he felt Taeyong hesitantly turning his head to the side to meet his lips. It was just a press of the lips for a second, before Yuta eventually found the determination in himself to deepen it. He took Taeyong’s upper lip between his and nibbled on it. He tightened his hold on Taeyong’s shirt, waiting for him to kiss him back. Which he did. It was soft, gentle and full of uncertainity. Yuta gently brushed his tongue along of Taeyong’s lip, which earned him a surprised gasp from the elder. Taeyong grabbed his shirt at his side as his lips fell open and Yuta slowly pushed his tongue into his mouth. Yuta now embraced Taeyong’s shoulders tightly and tilted his head to the side so they would be more comfortable. He was met with sloppy but eager response as Taeyong met his tongue with his own and sneaked his arms around his waist to pull Yuta closer to himself. Their breathing quickened and Yuta eventually pulled back to breath. They looked at each other, panting heavily. But neither of them said anything, before they both leaned forward for another kiss, this time without any hesitation. Yuta moved forward until he was in Taeyong’s lap, and Taeyong hugged him even closer, pulling him towards himself as much as possible. He could feel Yuta’s fingers in his hair and he toyed with the hem of his best friend’s shirt. He could feel his fingertips brush against his skin and it left him wanting to explore more. And he had a feeling Yuta would let him…_

Taeyong woke with a groan. He turned to the side to silence the alarm clock before he laid back onto his back. He was pretty sure the original memory didn’t end like this. They heard his mom come up the stairs before they got to the second kiss so pulled apart and sat as far apart as they could on his single bed. And they never spoke of it. Taeyong hasn’t even thought about it for a long while now. He rubbed his face while trying to will away his hard-on. It’s been two months now since he presented, but he still hasn’t figured out the hormone stuff. He was getting the most disturbing thought about anyone. He had wet dreams about his best friend, got aroused if he caught someone’s scent randomly in the subway and has thought about ripping Johnny apart when he moved just a little closer in the wrong way. He felt the constant need to be the dominant one. And even if his scent dulled down just a little bit, everyone kept on noticing him. Girls from the other classes and even some boys stopped to talk to him or try to flirt with him. And it was putting him on edge all the time. He was more anxious to go into school than he has ever been. Fearing what others might do. Fearing what he himself might do. 

So he just suffered through it. Yuta and Johnny acted like nothing special happened when others were around, hanging out with their usual popular group, while messaging Taeyong throughout the day. This system has been working for them for years now, but now it wasn’t enough. Taeyong needed to be completely alone, not just away from anyone. He wanted the scents to be drowned out. That’s why he spent every break between his lessons with his head down, nose buried in his elbow. That’s exactly what he did this day too, until someone poked him during their lunch break, so he was forced to look up. 

“What?” he asked quietly, not wanting to come across as grumpy as he felt. But every single trace of ill-feelings vanished when he saw Yuta next to him. He was pale, and there were big bags under his eyes. He didn’t even smile when their eyes met. 

“Do you need your jacket?” he asked, pointing at Taeyong’s jacket on the back of his chair. Taeyong sat up straight and shook his head. 

“No, but what’s the matter?” he asked, while Yuta pulled a chair next to him and sat down on it. Taeyong took his jacket and held it out towards him. 

“I don’t know. It’s just… everything hurts” he complained, pulling Taeyong’s jacket over his own. He was just a tad bit smaller than the alpha, so it fit him even like that. Taeyong carefully placed his hand onto Yuta’s forehead. He was perfectly normal temperature-wise. 

“You don’t have fever. Where does it hurt the most?” he asked, turning fully towards his best friend. Yuta rarely got sick, and he never let some pain take a toll on him like this. He once claimed he could still play football when he tore a muscle. It took an entire team, two coaches, his parents and a doctor to convince him otherwise. And even then, he didn’t show any signs of not feeling well. 

“My abdomen and lower back. But my abdomen is the worst” he answered, pulling his legs up to his chest, curling into himself. 

“How long has it been hurting?” 

“Since yesterday.” Taeyong’s eyes widened at the answer. 

“And why aren’t you at the doctors?” he asked. Yuta had an obvious distate towards doctors since they were children, but he would have never thought it was this strong. And he also didn’t think Yuta would rather suffer like this than to get help from one.  
Nakamoto shrugged. 

“Didn’t want to. But now I might be considering it” he answered. Taeyong shook his head with a sigh. For a moment, he was just watching his friend. Yuta looked like hell, and he wasn’t sure how long he would be able to handle this. If he was in this bad shape, the pain must have been unbearable. And he needed to do something. He completely forgot about his own problems. 

“Come on.” He said, standing up from his chair. He grabbed his bag and threw it over his shoulder. Yuta looked up at him, confused. 

“What?” he asked, grabbing a hold of Taeyong’s wrist. Taeyong gently pried his wrist free just so he could grab Yuta’s bag too from a few desk away. 

“I’ll take you to the doctor. I’m pretty sure the teachers will excuse us, once they see you” he said, taking Yuta’s bag onto his bag also. “Besides, we only have two lessons left, so we won’t miss too much.” 

Yuta looked at him utterly terrified.  
“But I have soccer practice!” He was the captain of the team, he couldn’t just miss practice! Taeyong gave him aa doubting look. 

“And you think you can play in this state?” he asked. Yuta was barely able to sit straight from the pain, let alone run for 90 minutes. 

“But…” Yuta didn’t have any excuse left, but he desperately wanted one. Taeyong only grabbed his hand and pulled him up from the chair. He waited for Yuta to straighten up on his own pace. 

“No more but. We’ll going. I’ll stay with you, don’t worry,” he said with a smile. Not even the others’ gazes in his back bothered him. He kept his focus solely on Yuta before he could waver under everyone else’s attention. He even managed to talk to their teacher in a rather hearable tone when they stopped by her desk to be excused for the day. He could feel Yuta squeeze his hand in encouragement as he spoke to the woman and giving him a proud look when he turned away from her desk when she excused them.  
They walked to the hospital holding each other’s hand. Yuta needed Taeyong to steady him, when he got dizzy from the pain and Taeyong needed him so he could focus on him, not on the people who occasionally glanced at him, when they caught his scent. They called their parents on the way there. 

The hospital was bright white on the inside, with surprisingly few people in the waiting room. Chairs were all around, with a coffee automat in one of the corners. They walked up to the desk and the nurse behind it gave them a kind smile. 

“Good afternoon! What’s the matter?” she asked. Her eyes strayed away from them for a minute when another nurse ran away behind them, but then immediately got back on them. Taeyong turned his eyes away.. 

“Good afternoon. My friend has…” His voice got quieter with every muttered word and the woman couldn’t even understand the end of his sentence. She leaned forward a little.

“Excuse me, what did you say?” she asked. Taeyong avoided her gaze like the plague. Yuta leaned against his side as his breathing got a little heavier. Another wave of pain hit him. 

“My friend has abdominal pa…” Taeyong tried a little louder, but no matter how badly he wanted to, he just couldn’t finish the sentence loud enough for her to hear. He just couldn’t. He could barely talk to their homeroom teacher and he has known her for almost three years at that point. The nurse was a complete strangers. He could never talk to strangers well. He felt Yuta squeeze his hand harder. He wanted to say it. He wanted to help his best friend. 

“My friend…” he just couldn’t.  
What a great alpha he was… 

He could feel tears swelling up in his eyes.  
“My abdomen hurts so bad, please…” he heard Yuta answer next to him, between sharp intakes of breath. But his hand still remained steady in his. It was Taeyong who was trembling. He bit his lips, drowning out the rest of the conversation between the woman and Yuta. He took the form they needed to fill out from her with a bow before he pulled Yuta to the closest chairs. As they sat down, Yuta leaned his head against his shoulder as Taeyong started writing his datas onto the paper. 

“You did your best. I’m happy that you tried” Nakamoto whispered softly, cuddling up against his best friend. He pulled his legs up once again, hoping the position will lessen the pain.  
Taeyong didn’t reply, just kept on writing.

*********

By the time Yuta’s parents arrived, Yuta was already lying in a bed, IV hooked into his arm. Taeyong was sitting by his side on an uncomfortable chair, talking to him in hushed tone, so they wouldn’t bother the other patients in the room. Yuta laughed when the nurse pulled the curtain aside, so his parents could see the boys.  
“Yu-chan!” Yuta’s mother immediately run to their side, almost pushing Taeyong out of the chair as she grabbed one of his shoulder. 

“Hi mom!” Yuta didn’t sound sick anymore. Taeyong smiled. After the doctors dosed him up with painkillers, Yuta was back to his normal self. They were only waiting for the doctor to come back with results from the ultrasound and bloodwork they needed to check. 

“Hi Mrs. Nakamoto,” Taeyong added softly, smiling up at the woman. He had known her long enough not to be uncomfortable around her. She looked down at him, and gave him a kind smile as she stroked his shoulder. She lovely omega with a really calming, soft scent.

“Hi Taeyongie. Thanks for taking care of Yu-chan” she said. 

“The doctor should come any second, please, wait here,” the nurse said, to which everyone nodded. Yuta’s mom walked to the other side of the bed and pulled a chair over so she could take her place next to her son. She reached out to take his hand into hers, stroking his slim fingers absentmindedly. 

“Alright, thank you very much,” Yuta’s dad answered in a calm manner, before the nurse nodded and left. He then turned to them and let out a sigh as he looked at his son. Worry crossed his features, leaving him feeling more tired than ever. “So, what’s up?  
Taeyong looked at Yuta, who just shrugged. 

“My abdomen and back was hurting so Tae brought me here. They gave me some painkillers, so now I’m fine,” he said in a nonchalant tone, as if he wasn’t on the verge of fainting from the pain less than an hour ago. His father nodded softly, putting his hand on the rail at the end of the bed. 

“And did they say anything?” he asked. Both boys shook their heads. 

“No. The doctor said she would be back soon with a detailed explanation,” Taeyong answered, giving Yuta’s parents an uncertain look. But barely missing a beat, the curtain got pulled to the side again and they all whipped their heads around to see the doctor. The woman gave them a soft smile. 

“And I’m here to deliver it,” she said, before she turned to Yuta’s parents. “I assume you’re Mr. Nakamoto’s parents. I’m Doctor Kim, good afternoon,” she bowed slightly. Yuta’s parents immediately mirrored the action. 

“Thank you for taking care of our son,” Yuta’s dad spoke softly. The doctor gave them a polite smile before she turned to look down onto her papers. As she moved her head, Taeyong could see the scent –cancelling patch on her neck. She was an alpha, it was easy to tell, but out of respect and to keep up the peace of the hospital, every worker was required to wear a scent-cancelling patch and use scent-cancelling soap. And even though it wasn’t for him, Taeyong was eternally grateful for that. 

“So as far as Mr. Nakamoto’s condition goes, it’s nothing serious. He’s not sick, there’s no problem with anything. He’s only presenting, so the pain should subside in the next day or two,” she said, giving them a reassuring smile. But much to her surprise she was only met with blank looks. Yuta’s dad had perfect poker face on, his mother’s polite smile was frozen on her face. Taeyong looked at Yuta, who mirrored his dad’s expression. For a moment, nobody spoke. Then Yuta turned to Taeyong. 

“Did it hurt for you, too?” he asked, but Taeyong quickly shook his head. 

“No. I was only irritated and kind of restless,” he answered softly, his tone much lower than before the doctor came in. 

“Yeah, but you presented as an alpha,” the doctor chimed in. “But you, Mr. Nakamoto, are presenting as an omega. Congratulations,” she said. There was no hint of sarcasm or ill-will in her voice. It was normal, kind of cheerful. But it got almost drowned out by the sound of Yuta’s world crashing down. Taeyong reached out for Yuta’s hand, but Yuta was trying to move up into a sitting position before Taeyong even had time to react. 

“Oh, hell no. I’m not an omega,” he exclaimed. “I mean no disrespect, Mom, but I’m not an omega. Dad is an alpha, Momoka is alpha, Tae is an alpha, Johnny is an alpha. I can’t be an omega. They’re going to take away my captain position in the team!” he said, and even though his voice was firm, the way his eyes were frantically running between everyone in the room and how his hands shook told everything about how he was really feeling. 

“Son…” his parents spoke up in the same time, but he didn’t even hear them. 

“How can I change it? How can I alter or suppress it for forever?” he asked the doctor, as she pushed him back into a laying position. She adjusted his IV and looked at his parents before she spoke. 

“Well, you can take suppressants, like most other omegas. But since your mother is an omega, you probably know that you need to come off it at least once a year for a heat in order to don’t have any complications with your organs. Or you can have surgery, but I wouldn’t recommend it,” she said.

“Why not? I want it,” Yuta said. Taeyong almost facepalmed at the exclamation, but didn’t say anything. Yuta’s dad let out a sigh while his mother reached out and took his hand between hers. 

“I wouldn’t because it would take a lot of time of you taking different hormone stabilizing medicine, which is already really expensive, but then would come a surgery that can have serious effects on your life, because we’re removing an entire organ during it. And this surgery alone would cost almost half a million,” she said in a matter of fact voice. Taeyong looked at Yuta once again. His face was back to the poker face he learned from his father. Both his parents looked at Yuta. everyone waiting for his reaction. 

“I don’t know why you’re telling me this. Being an omega isn’t that bad, why would I want to change my secondary gender?” he said in a completely serious tone, and even though the doctor seemed shocked for a minute, both Taeyong and his parents let out a relieved sigh and Taeyong smiled at him. If he could joke, than he would be alright in no time. He will just need some help to adjust. And Taeyong swore to himself that he will do his best to help him as he squeezed Yuta’s hand that sneaked into his.

“Alright then,” the doctor said, before she turned to Yuta’s father. “Could you please come with me to sign some papers and talk about the precautions you’ll need to take and the medication for your son?” she asked and the man immediately nodded. 

“Yes, of course.” he then looked at his wife. “Are you coming too, darling?” he asked, and the woman stood up. 

“Yes. My medication data for suppressants might come handy,” she said, and after she gave a last stroke to the back of Yuta’s hand before she joined her husband at the doctor’s side and left with them. The boys waited for a moment before speaking up after the adults left.

“Tae…” Yuta’s voice was soft, his hand slightly trembled in Taeyong’s hold. Taeyong squeezed it, so at least that would hide its shakiness. He knew Yuta wanted to hide his weak side more than anything. He hated being weak. That’s why he put up that front in front of his parents. His voice trembled as he continued: “…what am I going to do?” 

Taeyong swallowed before he met Yuta’s eyes.  
“We’ll get through this. You’ll be fine and we’ll get through this together, just like we did before.”

The wobbly smile Yuta gave him was worth even breaking the rule of him not being allowed to sit on the bed to hug him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last complete chapter, the 4th one is just a very short epilogue.   
> Please, leave a comment after yourself! :)

Yuta was released the next day and after being loaded up with painkillers, he went to school. On school grounds he kept up his sunshine smile, and made sure not to give away any hint of the new he got, but Taeyong knew better. Yuta already talked to his coach and made an agreement with him that they would discuss his place in the team after his presentation and first heat was over. Yuta has been trouble sleeping, it was just his sister’s make up stash that the bags under his eyes. He would also wait for Taeyong in the morning, so they could exchange their jacket, so as his scent was to get stronger during the day, Taeyong’s would cover his up. Taeyong also got used to his new scent as it was on the jacket every day and he could constantly smell the citrus undertone. 

Then eventually, on the next Tuesday, he gave up pretending. He didn’t smile at everyone or tried to engage in a conversation at every chance. He stuck by Taeyong’s side the entire time, or was leaning into Johnny’s personal space. Taeyong didn’t comment on the scent-cancelling patch on his neck, he just bundled him up in his own clothes to cover his scent, hoping it would calm him down. 

Up until one day they were about to head home when an alpha from the football team decided to head up to them.  
“Yo, Nakamoto,” he called out before laughing loudly. Taeyong pulled a face. He couldn’t understand what was so funny about Yuta’s name. The alpha walked closer with a shit-eating grin on his face. He was rather tall, but not as much as Johnny, who was watching the scene unfold from behind them. Taeyong was highly alert of everything going on around them, he could also sense that Johnny was also ready to jump in. 

“What?” Yuta asked with a tired sigh, looking up at the alpha with a bored look on his face. He just wanted to go home. 

“Heard there is a new omega in school. And rumour has it, it’s you,” he laughed again as he leaned into Yuta’s face. Yuta grimaced. The alpha smelled really bad. Now he could understand why Taeyong was always complaining about the scents once he presented. 

“And what? Rumours aren’t always true ” he said, holding himself back from trembling when the alpha’s scent got stronger. The football player leaned into his neck and took a big breath. 

“No need to lie. I can smell the heat on you… I would gladly help you out with it” he said, but before he could take another sniff, he was pushed back. Taeyong put every single bit of strength he had into the push to make sure he moved the alpha, before he stepped between him and Yuta. There was a look of shock both on Yuta’s and the alpha’s face. And even though he himself was very surprised that he did it, he couldn’t show it. 

“What do you want?” the alpha growled and even though Taeyong knew the alpha was one hundred percent sure to win if it came to a fight, he held his ground. 

“For you to back off. You have no right to violate his space,” he said, forcing himself to control his voice so it wouldn’t tremble. 

“And what if I don’t?” The alpha stepped forward, and released his pheromones. Taeyong didn’t want to do anything else but crawl into a hole and die. He spent all his life building up a forgettable persona that nobody noticed. And here he was, standing up against a fucking football player. 

“Just do it,” he answered, and released his own pheromones. At least, he hoped he did, because he honestly couldn’t tell and had absolutely no practice in this shit. The alpha let out a low growl and much to everyone’s surprise, Taeyong also did. After that, the football player just smiled, and even though it was in a mocking tone, he backed off. He lifted his hands into the air before turning around and leaving them behind.  
And in the moment he was sure the alpha wasn’t looking or coming back, Taeyong leaned his back against the wall and slid down into a sitting position. He held his head between his hands and pulled his knees up so he could hide behind them. 

“Oh my fucking god,” Yuta and Johnny said at the same time as the alpha stepped to them and Yuta sat down next to Taeyong. 

“That was like the most badass thing you have ever done. I’m freakin’ proud of you, man!” Johnny laughed as he stood in front of them. Yuta patted Taeyong’s shoulders with a wide smile on his face. But Taeyong didn’t even dare to look up. 

“That was the scariest thing in my life. Even worse than standing out in front of the class, having to do a presentation,” he muttered, twining his fingers together on top of his head. 

“But you were very cool” Yuta said. Johnny quickly nodded along. 

“Yeah, like a true alpha,” he said, and Taeyong finally looked up with a sigh. He didn’t say anything as he looked back and forth between them. He didn’t want to say that he just didn’t want the hospital incident to happen again. He just wanted to be there for his friends when they needed him. But he never thought it would be this terrifying. 

“Tae…”Yuta’s voice was soft when he spoke right next to his ear. His breath fanned Taeyong’s skin softly. He turned his head to face him.

“Hm?” he stood up, but didn’t say anything else when Yuta grabbed his jacket and tugged him into a standing position. They never held hands in school, and Taeyong was kind of happy about it, because like this nobody really paid him attention, even if Yuta was around him. But right now, it just felt wrong. He knew that no matter how easily they got out of that situation, it was a first time for Yuta, too. The first time someone really treated him like an omega in a negative way. It was scary for him, too. 

“Could you come home with me?” he asked and the alpha instantly nodded. Even if it wasn’t for the alpha that suddenly roared inside him to protect his best friend, he wouldn’t let him go alone, not like this. He caught Johnny’s eyes over Yuta’s shoulder and the other alpha just nodded, before turning to his stuff. They both knew that at this point, there was no turning back. Yuta was presenting and he was an omega. And they will need to protect him if he needed it. 

Yuta lead Taeyong out of the school and after they were sure that nobody saw them anymore, he reached for his hand. Taeyong squeezed his hand as Yuta clung to him like a lifeline. His hands were warm usually, but this time it was like Yuta’s palms were on fire.  
“Are your parents home? Or your sisters?” Taeyong asked as they turned onto the street Yuta lived on, just a corner away from his house. Yuta shook his head. 

“No. Mom comes home in two hours with Haruna, while Momoka and Dad will only be home by nine,” he answered after a shaky sigh. He opened his bag to search for his keys as they walked up to the door. It was a lovely house, completely normal, nothing outstanding on it. Taeyong loved it. The scent was a little strong when Yuta first opened the door, but Taeyong quickly got used to it. Yuta’s older sister Momoka was an alpha just like their father, but his mother made sure that the house didn’t constantly smell like alpha.  
They took off their shoes and headed up the stairs where Yuta’s and the girls’ rooms were. Yuta’s room was the last one down the corridor, with a soccer-themed nametable hanging from it that he made when he was in fifth grade. He hasn’t really found the care to give about changing it. As Yuta pushed his door open, with his free hand he took off the scent-cancelling patch. 

The scent hit Taeyong like a truck. The scent was mouth-watering, the citrus scent with something he just couldn’t name. And it was stronger every second. He just couldn’t get used to it, couldn’t block it out. He looked at Yuta, who was already stripping down his jacket and he has already loosened his tie. 

“Yuta, you…” he started as he took a step towards the other, but just as his luck would give it, he tripped in a soccer ball that rolled forward after Yuta jammed his bag onto it. But Yuta caught him effortlessly, like he did every time before. Taeyong let out a soft curse before he looked up at his best friend. They were close, he could smell Yuta stronger than ever. Yuta looked back at him with wide eyes, which made him look fragile, but he was holding Taeyong firmly. It was so conflicting. He was like a doll that could break if touched too roughly, but he was tougher than a diamond. This pushed Taeyong's emotions into a whirlwind. One side of him was happy that something stayed the same. That Yuta still caught him and held him up when he failed at functioning properly. But there was another side of him that was annoyed. He didn't want to appear weak in front of his best friend and felt the need to put up a front even though Yuta has seen him at the lowest multiple times before.  
And this side annoyed him. But this side was really annoyed when it was Yuta who made the first move.  
His lips were as soft as he remembered them. It was just a press of lips against his, but it was enough for something to snap in Taeyong's head. He turned his head to the side a little and sucked Yuta's lower lip between his. He stepped closer, standing steadily and carefully placed his hands on his waist. The scent of Yuta slowly going into heat was getting stonger with every passing moment and it drove him insane. Taeyong could feel the heat radiating off his skin, inviting him even closer. He wanted more, but wasn't sure how to go for it.

Yuta kissed him back and readjusted one of his arms so he was hugging Taeyong's neck. They were the same height, it wasn't that he needed Taeyong as leverage to stand steady, but he was going weak in the kiss and needed him to hold him still. He felt his best friend lick his lip tentatively and he immediately opened his lips to give him entrance. Their tongues met and Yuta almost smiled. Taeyong still tasted the same. He stepped backwards, pulling Taeyong with him until his back hit the wall.  
He moaned softly when Taeyong's body met with his, sandwiching him between the warmth of the alpha and the cold of the wall.  
Hearing that sound, Taeyong pulled back. He never expected things to go this way, but he wasn't complaining. The alpha in him approved of the sound Yuta made and wanted to hear it again. And then there was regular Taeyong who was freaking the hell out. He looked Yuta in the eyes, hoping it would be as reassuring as it was when he did before. Before they presented. Before this weird shift started in their relationship.

And Yuta looked back at him without any hesitation, and Taeyong could only see one thing in those brown eyes: longing. Yuta's eyes flickered to his lips for a second and he licked his own lower lip before once again looking into Taeyong's eyes.  
"Do it again," he said and Taeyong obeyed immediately. He didn't hesitate to push his tongue into Yuta's mouth or to press his body more firmly against his, his hands holding onto the other's waist. He could feel Yuta's fingers in his hair as they kissed.

It didn't take long for things to get out of their hands.

Their tongues fought for dominance as they bodies rubbed against one another. Yuta constantly tried to pull Taeyong's shirt upwards, while the alpha's hands were venturing down to his ass, holding it softly as they trusted against each other, their clothed erections straining in their pants.  
Yuta broke the kiss and turned his head to the side to breath. Taeyong pressed a kiss to his jawline and then to his neck, drawing a soft moan from the other. He nipped at it softly, inhaling the scent deeply. 

“God, you smell so good…” he muttered, letting out a groan when Yuta pushed his hips against his. 

“Tae... I want you so bad. Alpha…” Yuta breathed softly. Taeyong froze. The word alpha broke the blissful state their kisses got him into. It’s not what they wanted. It was just their hormones taking the wheel. Yes, they have kissed before. And yes, that was the material of most of Taeyong’s wet dreams. But he didn’t want it to happen. Not like this. Especially that he couldn’t be sure that Yuta would also be up to it if his head was clear.  
He quickly pushed himself away from Yuta and took a few steps back. He ran his fingers through his hair and took a few deep breath to calm his racing heart, trying not to let Yuta’s scent affect him even more.

“Taeyong?” Yuta panted still standing at the wall. He seemed confused. They locked eyes and the urge to go back to him and kiss him senseless was even stronger. Yuta’s lips were red and plump from the kisses, his hair and clothes messed up. 

“We… we can’t,” he muttered before he quickly reached for his bag on the floor. He threw it onto his shoulder and stepped out of the room. Yuta reached after him. 

“But why? Don’t you want me?” he asked, the confused look on his face soon turned into a hurt one. His scent turned rather sour. Taeyong grimaced. 

“I do. But, we can’t. Not like this. I’m not going to take advantage of you.” he stated, trying not to tremble when Yuta stepped to him, grabbing his arm. 

“But I want you…” he muttered, pressing his nose into Taeyong’s neck. Shivers ran down Taeyong’s back, but he held his ground. He gently grabbed Yuta’s shoulder and pushed him back. 

“You’re saying this, because of the heat…” he said, and once again took a step back. Yuta was ready to go after him. 

“But…”

“I-I’ll stay here until your mom gets home…” he stuttered softly, averting his eyes. “But I’ll stay downstairs so nothing happens that shouldn’t happen.” And before Yuta could answer anything, he bolted down the stairs. He quickly locked the door with Yuta’s key and made sure all the windows were securely locked. This was all he could do to keep him safe until someone got home. He could still smell Yuta’s sour scent and it made his heart ache. But he knew this was the right thing. So he just called Yuta’s mom and then with tears in his eyes, curled up on one of their kitchen chairs and waited. 

It wasn’t until four days later when he got a text that the ache in his heart lessened. The text came from Yuta and it said:  
_‘Thank you.’_


	4. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really short, sorry about that!  
> I hope you liked this short story a little, please, leave a commetn after yourself! :)

Taeyong felt like he was going to die when he got up to go to school. Even though he knew Yuta wasn’t mad at all or had any bad feelings about him leaving him alone during his heat, Taeyong just couldn’t let himself relax. He was going to see him in school and it would probably be awkward. And oh god, he didn’t know what to do. He dressed slowly, ate slowly, just to prolong his departure for school.  
But seemingly Yuta had different plans as he was already standing in front of Taeyong’s house by the time the alpha stepped out of it. He only laughed when he saw the shocked look on Taeyong’s face. But before Taeyong had the time to just turn around and run back into the house, he held out his hand just like he always did when they were kids.

“Come on, we need to go to school,” he said and jest held his hand steadily, until Taeyong finally took it. 

“You don’t feel awkward?” Taeyong asked softly, but Yuta only shrugged. 

“Not really. I mean, nothing really happened that we haven’t done before,” he laughed softly. “Plus, if it’s you, it’s alright.”

Taeyong turned to him with such speed his neck cracked. But he paid it no mind.  
“What?” 

Yuta smiled.  
“At least with you I can be sure that you’re here for my amazing self, not because I’m an omega. And I trust you more than anyone else,” he said, giving Taeyong’s hand a little squeeze. 

“Even though I’m not the typical, strong alpha?” he asked, to which Yuta snorted. 

“Do I look like your usual dainty, soft-spoken omega?” he asked, and when Taeyong mouthed a soft “True”, he just smiled and turned Taeyong towards himself by their hands. 

He quickly let go just so he could wind his arms around his neck.  
“So don’t worry about that,” he muttered softly, before leaning forward and pressing his lips against the alphas. He held himself back from smiling widely when he felt Taeyong grab onto his waist and pull him closer.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment after yourself! Thank you for reading! :)
> 
> Follow me on Twitter: Rinrin2442


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